Saturday, October 27, 2007

Three Things

1. My brother-in-law and his family's home survived the San Diego fires in tact. Their neighborhood is messy, but still standing, making them some of the lucky ones. They wisely left town for a planned trip to Chicago to get out of the smoky air and let things settle down, but should hopefully be getting back to normal soon. Thanks so much for your messages of concern and caring.

2. I made some kind of ugly socks. I love the yarn, I love the pattern, but the pooling! Ach! The pooling! I am pretty tolerant about pooling, but these socks pooled in a pretty ugly way.

I won't be frogging them, as they are innocuous enough when worn with jeans and shoes:

Hidden under jeans, tucked into the clogs.Maybe an occasional flash of sock when the legs are crossed...

But, and prepare yourself here, when viewed on their own, you see what I mean. The slash of green across the foot. Ewww.

Notes: These socks were uneventful and simple, and the yarn is just wonderful to knit, but this is the perfect example of a really pretty, autumnally neutral colorway gone bad. Luckily, the ugly part is pretty much confined to the foot, so they are totally wearable with shoes. Thanks, Claudia's, for pooling where it won't be noticed!

This is my first time using Claudia's yarn, and I am really pleased so far. Of course, I'll have to see how they hold up to wear and washing, but I am really looking forward to using the other skeins I have in the stash.

3. Nova, I don't know whether to kiss you or curse you, but my family sincerely thanks you! That's some damn good pie.

The pattern on those socks was so pretty I didn't really notice the pooling. Claudia's is the same base yarn as Koigu, so it can go through the washer and dryer without mishap. (well, that's what I do with mine)

Ack, I step away from the blog reading for a few days and look what I miss.

1. Sooo glad your California relatives survived the fires with their home intact! (We SoCalers knew with the dry weather we'd have fires, but even I, mistress of doom n gloom, have been astonished at how bad they are.)2. Yes, you did. Sorry, but I'm with ya on the fugly. But, new socks!3. Wow, decadence in a pie plate. Mmm.

Those socks aren't nearly as bad as you make them out to be, though I can see how they are best enjoyed tactilly rather than visually.

I tried that pattern at one point, but I found the stitch called for at the point where you turn one stitch into three (I can't remember exactly what it is now) terribly difficult to execute, and I got awful results when I did manage to do it. I wonder if I was doing something wrong? Did you find it tricky?